Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls, but I do own Vanessa Gilmore and her BFF Angie. They are made-up by me, so they're mine. And Ginger too. I also don't own Moulin Rouge or Chicago. Duh.

Chapter 4
Unexpectednessness

Vanessa shuffled down the stairs that gloomy Saturday, tired and still upset from all the stuff from last night. She entered the kitchen where Lorelai sat with a notebook, a pen, and a big cup of coffee in front of her.

"Hey, kiddo!" Lorelai greeted, "Didn't I tell you I was going to be on a coffee rush?"

"I dunno," Vanessa whined, scuffling to the fridge and pulling out a slice of cold pizza.

"Well, I did, now get that pizza on a plate, and come here," Lorelai demanded. Vanessa moved leisurely to her seat as Lorelai started, "OK, don't kill me, but I got an idea."

"Don't like the sound of that."

Lorelai reached under the table and put a boom box on top of the kitchen table.

"Mom, no!" Vanessa exclaimed, "You are NOT allowed to break dance at my party!"

"Not my original plan, but thanks for the idea," Lorelai replied. She pushed PLAY and "And All That Jazz" started playing.

"I was thinking we could have a Chicago theme party and we could play the soundtrack. Whaddya think?" Lorelai suggested.

Vanessa shrugged. "What else you got?"

Lorelai stopped the CD and told her, "How about a Moulin Rouge type party? Or a murder mystery? Or-or-or, a classic Hollywood ordeal? Oh my Gosh, a luau! Everyone loves luaus! We could have coconut bras and drinks with the little umbrellas in them. And we'll have those old Elvis records, singing 'Blue blue blue, Ha-why-EEEEEEEEEEE!"

"No," Vanessa said sleepily.

"No? No, what?" Lorelai asked.

"No, I don't want a theme, I don't want drinks with the little umbrellas, I don't want old Elvis records. I want to do it all myself! I want to get twinkle lights and those Chinese paper laterns and I want to get to pick the music!"

"All right!" Lorelai announced, writing something down. "OK, guest list. Who do we invite?"

"You, Dad, Rory, Logan, Amanda, Gramma, Grandpa, Aunt Liz, Uncle TJ-"

"Jess is gonna come if they are, you know," Lorelai informed.

"No he's not."

"Why shouldn't he?"

"Because everytime I see him, he always asks how Rory is, and I always tell him that she's happily married so stop asking me, but the other day, it got personal."

"What did you do?" Lorelai asked.

Vanessa admitted, "Go back to Big Sur, jerkwad."

"That's not very nice." Lorelai patted her daughter's shoulder, "I'm proud of you."

"Yeah, but I was mad because Angie and that Jude kid are sorta dating and it's just rubbing it in my face that after almost sixteen years, I'm still single, and I was taking it out on him." Vanessa pouted in a whiny tone, "I don't wanna be a spinster!"

"You're not gonna be a spinster," Lorelai comforted.

Vanessa, not listening, continued on, "Spinsters own fifty million cats. I don't like cats. Cats are smelly and conceited and they remind me of the kids at Chilton. Stuck-up and mean and not loyal at all. Except Ginger, that redhead at back-to-school night. Add her to the list, OK Mom?"

"You're not gonna be a spinster," Lorelai repeated, louder.

Vanessa still didn't listen. "And what am I going to do in my spare time? I can't knit or sew or crochet that well, except I can embroider. I could decroate a pillow for Amanda or any other kids Rory decides to pop out between now and the day I die at the young age of 32."

Lorelai reached over, pinched her daughter's cheeks, and shook Vanessa's head side to side. "Read my lips, kiddo. You. Are. Not. Going. To. Be. A. Spinster."

Vanessa pushed her mother's hands away from her face. "OK, OK! Ow, my cheeks hurt. And DON'T say 'dirty!' I will yell if you say that."

"OK, don't get tha- OH!" Lorelai realized. "Dirty, dirty, dirty!"

Putting her head down on the table, Vanessa groaned loudly as Luke entered. "What did I miss?"

"Oh nothing," Lorelai replied sarcastically, "Just embarrassing our daughter in front of just the whole world."

"Ness, I love you to death, but, kiddo, sometimes you're a drama queen," Luke informed her, rubbing the top of her head with his hand.

"Thanks Dad," Vanessa snarled as the phone rang. Vanessa got up and announced, "I got it!"

Lorelai announced, "It might be Rory. She's coming over to drop off Amanda before your dad and I go to work, remember?"

"Yes, Mother dear," Vanessa responded. She picked up the phone and mumbled, "Hello?"

"Hey, Nessa! It's Ginger," the familiar British girl greeted. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"Nope. I'm just dealing with Lorelai on a coffee rush. So what's up?" Vanessa asked.

"Well, guess where I am?" Ginger suggested.

"Oh fun, a game of Where's Ginger. New York, New York?"

"No."

"Chilton?"

"Hell no! One more guess."

"Uh... I give up," Vanessa stated, falling back onto the couch.

"What does, um, Doose's mean to you?" Ginger asked, excitement in her voice.

"You're here!" Vanessa screamed, sitting straight up on the couch.

"Yeah! I'm in a taxi to over to your house! I'm staying at your mom's inn, but I'm visiting you now!"

Vanessa started screaming, "OH MY GOSH! REALLY!"

"Ow. My ear. My bloody ear. It rings. Yes!"

Vanessa hurried back to the kitchen and exclaimed, "Ginger's in Star's Hollow! Just in time for the Beginning of Summer Festival!"

Lorelai put down her cup of coffee and responded, "That's great, honey!"

Vanessa realized she was still in her PJs and her hair wasn't brushed. "Oh my Gosh!" She hurried back on the phone. "Ging, I have to get ready. I'll see you in a little bit, OK?"

"OK. Love."

"Eh... love." Vanessa pushed the End button and bolted up the stairs. She quickly rummaged through her closet.

"What to wear, what to wear, what to wear," she mumbled to herself, trying to find a completely awesome outfit without the whole "I pulled this off in two seconds" vibe.

"Ahh!" Vanessa screamed, grabbing at her still unbrushed black hair.

Lorelai knocked on Vanessa's open door. Vanessa whirled around and responded, "Oh, it's you. Good. Help."

"What do you need, your Majesty?" Lorelai asked, walking over to her daughter's closet. "And make it snappy, I need to get to work."

"I want to look good for Ginger, who is stopping by in ten minutes," Vanessa informed her.

"What look are you going for? Trés bohemian, rock star, or the casual Rory look?"

"Uh, duh. Rock star!"

Lorelai pulled out a white and red Green Day fitted shirt, jeans, a black, red, and white trucker hat, and black and red checkerboard canvas shoes. "Víola, my darling daughter," Lorelai said. "You now look like a White Stripes groupie."

"Have I told you lately that I love you?" Vanessa thanked.

Lorelai thought about it for a nanosecond then replied, "No, you haven't."

"Well, I do. Many thanks."

"Since when are you a Buddhist?" Lorelai responded as she walked out the door, allowing Vanessa to change.

Vanessa tore off her PJs and changed quickly. She took her brush off the vanity and started brushing madly through her hair. The second she put her brush down, the doorbell rang.

"Ginger!" she cried, sprinting out of her room and down the stairs, tripping half way down. She got up and, on one foot, hopped over to the door. There stood Rory and Amanda.

"Oh, hey you guys!"

"Aunt Vanessa!" Amanda cried, hugging her aunt's legs.

"Hey sweetie!" Vanessa gushed. She looked up at her sister and informed her, "My friend Ginger is in town."

"She is! That's great!" Rory exclaimed. "Is she coming over?"

"Yeah, I'm going to give her the grand tour of the town. It's OK that I bring Amanda with me, right?" Vanessa asked, concerned.

Rory nodded, rubbing her temples.

"Hey, you OK? You don't look so good. You look kinda pale."

"Gee thanks, you look good too."

"No, I'm not saying that, I'm just saying... you look sick."

Rory sighed, then dropped her voice to a whisper and confided, "I might be pregnant again."

Vanessa's jaw dropped. "Really?"

Rory nodded again. "I mean, I throw up almost everything I eat, I'm late, I'm really tired, and I'm not eating all the usual junk I eat."

Vanessa gasped, "You're not skipping out on Twinkies, are you?"

"Sadly."

"How could you, Rory?" Vanessa asked in mock-anger.

"I should stay home."

"Yes you should, but in case it's NOT that, I'll keep Amanda and Ginger and I will take good care of her," Vanessa advised.

"Maybe I will."

"You deserve it, sis."

Rory looked at her watch and said, "Well, I better go." She looked down at her daughter and told her, "Now be good for Aunt Ness, OK?"

Amanda nodded. "Love ya, Mommy."

Rory hugged her daughter goodbye and hurried off to her car. As she drove off, Vanessa took her niece's hand and said, "Come on. Let's go on the tire swing Grandpa made."

Amanda sprinted to the big tree in the front yard, her golden blonde pigtails bobbing up and down, and hopped up on the tire swing. Vanessa slowly followed when a big yellow taxi cab pulled up in front of the house. Amanda got down and tugged on Vanessa's skirt.

"Nessa, who's that?"

Vanessa shushed her as a familiar head of copper red hair popped out of the taxi. There, in all of her dramatic glory, was Ginger McLean. Her normally frizzy hair was sleek and pulled back in a ponytail. She wore a white and green polka dot tank top with a green puff skort and white flip-flops.

"Hey, bitches!" Ginger greeted, quoting "Now And Then."

"Ginger!" Vanessa squeaked and ran over, hugging her best friend from Chilton.

"Vanessa! Oh my Gosh, have you lost weight?" Ginger gushed.

Vanessa giggled as Amanda shyly appeared at her leg, hugging it tight. Vanessa laughed and introduced, "Ginger, this is Amanda, my niece, the one I've told you about. Come on, Amanda, don't be shy. This is my good friend, Ginger."

Ginger squatted down and said in a girly tone, "Hullo, Amanda. I'm Ginger."

Amanda just blinked.

"How old are you, sweetie?"

"Five!" Amanda exclaimed.

Ginger gasped. "Wow! You're almost as old as me!"

Vanessa giggled. Ginger was such a natural with little kids. Ginger stood up and demanded, "Well, I came for the grand tour, now I want a grand tour!"